


A Wolf in Lamb’s Clothing

by Scarlett_Lamour



Series: Howling for You [5]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alpha Arthur, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Beta John, Cannibalism, F/M, Gore, I still believe in happy endings, I'm a fan of Kieran, I've been through the desert on a horse with no beta, Like seriously GORE, Micah Bell rot in Hell, Multi, This one's going to be a rough one, Torture, Update tags as I go, Violence, Viscera, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-26 01:56:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20035969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarlett_Lamour/pseuds/Scarlett_Lamour
Summary: Stolen from her pack, at the mercy of her new captors, how will Adeline survive? Will she ever see Arthur and John again?





	1. Chapter 1

Micah dumped her in the dirt of the road, forcing her breath out of her as she hit hard unable to stop herself. She kicked at him as best she could but only received a harsh laugh as he easily stepped out of her reach. He did her the meager favor of tossing his coat over her shoulders as she sat naked in the dirt. Her jaw was clenched tight as she breathed heavy through her nose, trying to keep herself calm and mind clear. The dirt was sticking to her bare legs, a few leaves clinging as well. They were miles from the pack. Only taking small trails, ones she hadn’t recognized it would be difficult to find her way back. The harsh iron chain padlocked around her chest cut her off from Arthur and John. Her dagger was still sheathed on her leg but what good did that do her with her hands tied behind her back. 

“Got a few minutes, yet.” Micah sneered, looking at a pocket watch. “Better hope I don’t decide you’re not worth the trouble and just leave you for the animals to eat.” Adeline glared up at him. They both knew if he turned his back on her she’d find a way to kill him. “Look, don’t take this personal, alright? I’m a survivor and I’m going to do whatever it take to keep on living. Even if it means _you_ don’t.” He leaned back against a nearby tree, apparently unbothered by her rage filled glare, and lit a cigarette. Behind her, along the road, hooves thudded loud as men neared. She twisted on the ground to try and see who. No one she recognized, no one who’d help her. 

“Micah.” An old man said, after dismounting and walking to stand over her. His hair was once a dark brown but had started going white with age. “This the one the Hunters were after?” He asked. When Micah confirmed it was, he spit on her. “All this damn trouble in my territory for a worthless human bitch?” Scoffing, he snapped his fingers. Two men behind him rushed to pick her up and throw her over the back end of a horse. Her ribs were pushed in and she couldn't breathe easy laying on her lungs like she was. One of the men let his hand linger on her rump longer than necessary and Adeline kicked out. The man stumbled back with a pained grunt as she caught him in the chest. 

“Watch yourself, she’s kind of a bitch.” Micah laughed a warning at the man. "Look, I don't care what you do to her, Colm, just make her gone. She's causing too much trouble for my pack." Micah spit, snuffing out his cigarette under his heel before looking past the old man. "Have fun, bitch!"

Every curse she knew flew through her mind, if she hadn’t been gagged she’d be screaming them at him, struggling against the bindings even though she knew they wouldn't give. Some part of her wouldn't let her stop struggling against the bindings. 

“Though she was in your pack?” Colm seemed a little surprised by Micah’s flippant behavior towards the girl. 

"I ain't pack mates with a human bitch." He responded, a little too happy to be rid of her. Not waiting to continue the conversation, he mounted up on Baylock and set off at a gallop. Colm watched a bit, turning to look at Adeline with a sick smile that made her stomach fall out. This was the man Dutch hated so, that Arthur would rather run away than fight. He stepped forward and scented her hard, his hand pulling her hair painfully to the side. She watched as his eyes slid over her bare shoulders and the bite marks there. 

"Mated?" A sneer raised the corner of his lip before he scented her again. "To Arthur fucking Morgan?" Colm let go of her hair, shoving her head away from him. "Ain't you just a real treat. Guess I owe Micah good for this one." He swung up on his horse, turning to look as the other men mounted up. "We're riding out, hiding tracks. Morgan and that shit heel puppy of his, Marston, are gonna be looking for their little hole." Adeline wanted to scoff at his crude terms but she had a worry fluttering in her chest that her situation was going to get a whole lot worse before it got better. 

She could breathe again once the horses stopped in an abandoned homestead. There was more of Colm’s pack waiting. It seemed huge, especially compared to her own, nearly double at least. No women, noticeably. The realization made her feel even more bare, feeling eyes raking over her as she tried to keep Micah’s old coat covering some of her. Colm pulled her from the horse, setting her on her feet. It was easy to see how he avoided the chain around her. 

“Where’s that horse boy?” Colm sneered to a nearby man. “Kieran!” He shouted. A slim man, lanky and moving like he wasn’t sure how to handle all that leg, came running over. He kept his head down, not meeting eyes. “Take her in the cellar. Get her comfortable.” The way he said it made it very clear she wasn’t going to be very comfortable. Kieran cringed away from him but took Adeline’s arm, trying to gently lead her towards the open cellar doors. She ripped her arm free of his grasp and stumbled back, trying to flee. Every part of her was screaming to get away, get as far away from this pack as possible. A gunshot went off, a bullet whizzing close enough to her ear to graze the tip. It burned white hot and made her fall away from the sound. 

“Please, Miss.” Kieran’s voice was soft, shaky. How did someone as soft centered as this end up in Colm’s pack? He was pulling her to her feet. “Please, if you run again he’ll shoot both of us.” Fear was in ever word, every line of his face. He looked like a man who’d been afraid his entire life. But his hand was light, his motions were kinder than anything she’d seen in the pack so far. Breathing hard, partly from anger and partly from fear, she let him guide her down the steps to the cellar beneath the homestead. 

“I’m really sorry, Miss.” he seemed sincere. Adeline didn’t trust it, but he was all she had at the moment. “I just, I gotta tie you up, you understand?” No she didn’t, of course she didn’t. But her ear burned as a reminder that she currently didn’t have an escape route. Chains hung off the wall at the back of the cellar, manacles that held a history Adeline shied away from thinking about. Kieran pulled up one, snapping it closed around her neck and locking it in place with a padlock. They were prepared for this. All she could think was _evil_. Once he was satisfied she was properly secured, he untied the bandana around her head and helped her pull the rag out of her mouth. It was a small kindness at least, her mouth achy and dry from the uncomfortable intrusion. She worked her jaw back and forth a bit. When Kieran pulled out a pocket knife she moved away but he held his hands up like she was a skittish horse.

“I’m just gonna cut your hands free, alright? I figure if the chains will hold you well enough, I can let you have your hands.” He tried to explain, moving slow. Nodding, Adeline turned to give him access to her wrists. The pressure released and she was able to move her arms freely again. Giving a heavy sigh of relief, she shook out her shoulders and rubbed the feeling back into her wrists. 

“Thank you.” It made her wince to hear how her voice shook. Kieran gave a small nod in return, glancing nervously over his shoulder. It occurred to her that he was probably as much a prisoner as she was. 

“I-I-I gotta take your knife.” He pointed to the sheath on her thigh. Of course he would have to. Colm would take it either way. 

“Keep it.” She had to swallow to wet her throat. “Keep it with your things, don’t let Colm have it.” He understood. It was clear he was going to be what kept her alive. The thought didn’t instil much hope in Adeline. He didn’t seem able to keep himself alive. His hands kept themselves polite as he unbuckled the sheath from around her thigh. 

“I’ll t-t-try to find you some clothes, Miss.” He offered, tucking the knife and sheath into a pocket in his coat. She pulled her arms through Micah’s coat, cursing that all she had was a piece of that rat’s clothing. It was looking bleak. Without even thinking, she curled up against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible. 

“My name is Adeline.” She whispered. Kieran looked like he wanted to say something more but Colm was yelling his name and he was tripping up the stairs at a double time. He didn’t shut the door behind him and she could hear Colm yelling at Kieran for a nonsense infraction. The cellar was cold, and damp against her bare skin. A shiver set in underneath the coat. This was hell. Micah had given her up to hell. If she ever got her hands on him, she’d rip him open. 

Her eyes stung like she would cry but the tears never came. The light outside had nearly faded out when Kieran came hurrying down the steps. Her heart leapt to see him coming and she was upset with herself that she was so quick to like the damn O’Driscoll. He carried a blanket over his arm and a plate of food. 

“Sorry it took me so long.” He apologized. Adeline had heard the dressing down Colm had given him, heard the soft thud of fists on soft body parts. He hadn’t taken any longer than possible, she knew. Setting the plate of food on a nearby table, he handed her a blanket and gave a small smile. “I was able to find you some clothing though. Wasn’t sure there was anything around, but the old wardrobe in the house had a chemise in a bottom drawer. Not dirty or anything.” He held up the undergarment, proud of himself. “If you don’t try and run I’ll untie you so you can put it on.” She nodded, not feeling quite the excitement he did. When he unlocked the collar, she rubbed at her neck. It was sore under the weight.

It was a bit big for her, but covered her and helped cut back on some of the cold damp soaking into her bones. When the collar was clamped back into place it was harder to swallow even if it wasn’t any tighter. Kieran spread the blanket out over the dirt floor, giving her a place to sit before handing her the plate of food. Dried meat, cheese, bread that was just a few days shy of moldy. It was better than she’d expected. 

“What’s Colm going to do to me?” She asked around a mouthful of cheese. Kieran’s face fluttered in fallen hope. 

“I don’t know.” He hunched, afraid for her. “Nothing good. You really mated to Arthur Morgan?” There was reverence in his voice. What kind of stories did O'Driscoll's tell about Arthur? She nodded slowly, biting into the stale bread. Kieran’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Then I hope he finds you.” 

“I can’t feel him with this iron chain on me.” She grab at the chain underneath the chemise and shook it, the padlock on her back rattling against the links. 

“Doubt that’ll matter much.” He admitted a sad sort of smile on his face, maybe a tiny kernel of hope. It was something to cling to at least. When she’d finished the plate of food, Kieran picked it up and moved towards the stairs. Adeline wanted to ask him to stay longer but stopped herself. Now was not the time to act a fool. He disappeared up the stairs, leaving her by herself in the quickly fading light of day. 

The next morning Colm was kind enough to wake her up by kicking her in the gut. She gave a shuddering cough as she rolled onto her knees. He stood over her, waiting for her to get back the breath he’d kicked out of her.

“We ain’t staying here. Get up.” His voice held no room for argument. She pulled herself up, glaring at him. Colm’s hand snaked out, grabbing her neck painfully and pulling her up onto her toes. “You ain’t going to fight me on this, you hear? You make traveling difficult I’m going to cut off a body part.” His fingers dug into her jaw hard enough to bruise. 

“Go fuck yourself.” Adeline whispered hoarsely past his grip. Her own hands dug into his arm, trying to find purchase, pull him off her as she struggled for air. Colm threw her against the back wall of the cellar hard enough her head hit the stone and rang like a bell. When his hands closed around her wrists, she jerked free. Kicking at him, she tried to scramble away. The fear of what he could do to her was driving her, making her heart thud in her chest. The iron chain wrapped around her chest and neck made it easy for him to grab her. Slamming her to the ground, he dug his knee into her ribs. He caught her flailing hands in his and held them against the ground next to her head. 

"If you want to be fed you'd better get a sight more well behaved." He sneered in her ear before storming out of the cellar, slamming the doors closed and cutting her off from all but a sliver of light. The cellar suddenly felt claustrophobic and Adeline scrambled to find a wall, to find a corner to huddle in. At the edges of herself there was nothing. Being cut off from John and Arthur hurt, like she could die without them. Like a part of herself had been cut off and was bleeding out. She breathed hard and slow, trying to work through the pain and fear. When the cellar doors opened again, she flinched away but it was only Kieran, stepping lightly down. 

“Hey, Adeline.” His voice was low like he knew she’d be in bad shape after a visit from Colm. She wondered if he’d once been in the same position she was. Probably. Had he been made a wolf? Had he once been human? “Colm said to get you decent for traveling.” He held a bundle of clothes for her. Drawers and skirts and a shirt she could button on. Plain, dirty and torn. She tried not to think about who had once worn them and what happened to them. He helped her button up the shirt when her hands shook. “Colm said if you didn’t put up a fight you could ride on my horse with me.” He was begging her with his eyes, not saying the words. She didn’t know what the alternative would be, but riding behind Kieran seemed the most pleasant option. 

“Alright.” It felt like a betrayal to John and Arthur, to just give in like that. But it seemed stupid to make her situation worse for herself out of spite. Kieran nodded like he knew how she felt, picking up Micah’s coat and pulling it over her shoulders. “Where are we going?” 

“I don’t know.” He sounded regretful. “They don’t tell me much, truth be told.” Reaching behind her, he unlocked the iron around her neck. The heavy metal dropped to the ground with a clatter. Wrapping a hand around her upper arm, he pulled her out of the cellar. Most of the pack was already mounted up and moving out. Colm rode up to Kieran and Adeline, sneering down at the two. 

“No trouble?” He asked, tone ready for a fight. Kieran shook his head furiously while Adeline glared up at him. “Mount up then, stay in the middle.” His eyes flared gold when he looked over at Adeline. “You try and run and I’ll tie your hands and feet so fucking tight they’ll fall off.” He warned with a growl. Kieran didn’t wait for Adeline to respond to the threat, instead pulling her with him to a pretty little roan that nickered in happiness to see him. Petting the horse with one hand, he patted against its neck before helping Adeline up. 

“This is Branwen. He’s a good boy.” There was pride in his voice. Kieran was clearly more comfortable with horses. Considering the company he was in she couldn’t blame him. Swinging up into the saddle in front of her, he gave a small cluck and the horse swung around to follow after the pack riding out. When they splashed into a river and then rode upstream through the water for several miles, what hope she had of being found was washed away with her scent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Fair Warning: This is where it starts getting pretty gruesome. If you're squeamish about blood, gore or violence it'd probably be best to skip this one.

The landscape was picturesque. Mountains, snowcapped, rose in the distance and all around them a carpet of wildflowers spread out. Adeline could see elk vanishing into the tree line in the distance, the large pack riding through scaring away most of the larger wildlife. It would have been a lovely vacation, if she wasn't a prisoner with a questionable future. 

Kieren had tried to make small talk as they rode, mostly about horses. Adeline hadn't felt much like responding. There was still a hole in her heart where her mates should be and if she thought about _that_ too long she was liable to start crying. The last thing she wanted was to cry over nothing, surely she'd have something tangible to cry over soon enough. They'd camped overnight in the trees. 

Her hands had been bound together and tethered to a tree. It reminded her so much of when she'd mated Arthur and John. Her heart pained as if it were being squeezed. A few fires were scattered through the underbrush of the trees but Adeline had pulled away from the orange glow, curling up at the base of the tree she'd been tied to. When Kieran had walked up with a plate of food and a canteen of water she'd had to hastily wipe tears away from her face. He hadn't said anything, only given her a sad look. God she hated pity. His pity. 

"Colm said we'll be where we're going by afternoon tomorrow." He offered, setting the plate down beside her and sitting next to her. 

"Where are we going then?" She asked, swallowing the shake in her voice as she picked up the food. 

"Some ranch, I think. Up near the mountains. Remote." He pulled his hat off, worrying the brim a bit between his fingers. "I heard him talking, Adeline. He's gonna turn you." His lips pressed tight together. The food in her mouth suddenly tasted like sawdust. She spit a bit to the ground beside her, thinking. 

"I promised John I wouldn't." She said to herself but Kieran heard. He tilted his head around, looking at her. Her eyes jumped up to his face. "John made me promise I wouldn't go trying to turn myself." She explained numbly. It felt like the hole in her heart was starting to engulf her entire chest. "Is there any way to stop it?" What sliver of hope she had died when Kieran shook his head, looking out into the dark night of the forest. 

"No, Miss. Not unless you kill yourself first." The words were followed by a hard swallow. He was suggesting it as a mercy but Adeline's mind rebelled at it. Shaking her head sharply, she twisted to pull at the rope tying her to the tree. 

"No, no. Just cut me loose, Kieran. Take this iron off me. Do something, _anything_!" Maybe her words were a little harsher than they should have been but she was past being able to gauge. His hands raised to still her frantic struggles, pulling back as she yelled at him. 

"Colm will kill the both of us." He hissed under his breath, looking over his shoulder at the men walking patrol. "I _can't_ go against his direct orders. Do you understand that?" It made her take a breath and calm herself a bit. She nodded that she did and sat back against the tree hard. "I-I-I could get shot just for telling you but, but I thought you should at least know what he's going to do." It was obvious he had used up his bravery for the day and he quickly left Adeline to fall apart on her own. She preferred it that way anyway. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks for a time, sobs swallowed silently against her hand. Finally feeling the absolute hopelessness abate some, she thought about how she'd like to kill Colm. Seemed like her shit list was growing. 

When Kieran had tugged her awake the next morning, she didn't feel like crying. She didn't feel like much actually. Maybe she should have been more worried about that, but nothing could really be done about that right now. Slumping against Kieran as they rode, she didn't even feel bad about it. He'd frowned at her but squeezed her hand all the same when she'd held onto his waist. 

They broke through the tree line near midday, the meadow of beautiful flowers appearing like some fairy tale land. In the distance, past a small creek, she could see a ranch sitting nestled in among a few trees. Maybe it had once been a grand ranch, a large family living it. Now it was starting to fall apart. Some O'Driscoll's were already there, setting up tents and scaring off any nearby game.

Adeline was dragged into the barn by a couple of men she didn't recognize while Kieran was left to tend to the horses. Tying her hands behind her back, they gave her a little slack to move around inside a stall. The hay was old inside, hadn't been changed in a long while but at least there wasn't any manure to avoid. Once they had left her to herself, she'd tried to pull. Used her foot for leverage. Rammed her shoulder into the wood to see if it would break. All it had earned her was a sore shoulder and tender wrists. They didn't even keep any of the horses in the barn. Yelling in frustration at her entire situation, Adeline kicked the door of the stall. It shuddered under the assault but held firm. Left out there until the light of day started to fade, she leaned back against the wall, sitting in the old moldy hay and wished she could at least feel Arthur or John. 

Closing her eyes, she banged her head back against the wood to just feel anything other than the nothingness in her chest. She had thought, before she'd met them, the want inside her would drive her insane. It was nothing compared to this emptiness filling her now. Useless without her other parts. She didn't even notice, at first, when the barn door opened and Colm walked in slow and happy. He carried a lantern and a plate of food. She shied away from him a little, turning her head away from the light and closing her eyes. He smirked as he set the food down in front of her, hanging the lantern from a hook on a post. 

"You'd better eat, I ain't wasting food on you if you're not going to eat it." He told her. The hate in her burned, about the only thing she could feel at the moment. Colm waited a moment before shrugging and picking up the plate, picking up bits of food and eating it himself before leaving. He reached out with one hand, turning the lantern off as he passed it. She fell asleep, curled against the wall with her stomach complaining at her stubbornness. 

Waking with a start to a dim barn, sunlight peeking through the cracks of the slats in the roof, Adeline tried to examine the empty barn. There wasn't much she could reach, not that she could even use her hands. A hopelessness settled in her chest. Would John and Arthur think she abandoned them? The idea of dying while either of them thought she would willing leave ripped her apart. Curled back in the corner in defeat, she struggled to keep from crying. By the time the sunlight outside faded, her stomach was complaining loudly and her throat was screaming for any liquid. 

Sometime later in the night, Colm threw the barn door open, laughing over his shoulder at something someone said before walking into the stall. He set a plate on the floor, nudging it inside her reach with his boot.

"Going to eat today?" He asked. Adeline couldn't refuse anymore, her empty stomach compelling her to throw herself on the plate. 

"Going to give me my hands to use? Or am I supposed to eat it like a pet dog?" She snipped back. Colm laughed as he stepped over to untie her hands. When she brought them around in front of her, he tied them again, tighter than before. Not caring anymore, she devoured the cold meat and bread. 

"Yeah, not eating for a while has a way of gentling a person." He crouched, watching her with smug satisfaction. She kept her eyes on him as she ate, the food dry in her mouth, making her cough as she choked it down. "Gonna wait until you're real thirsty though. That's when a person listens best." The sudden explanation startled her, reminded her that he wasn't just going to keep her a prisoner. Dropping the plate and curling back up in the corner, she watched him leave. Micah had been threatening but seemingly bound not to physically damage her too much. Giving her to Colm, though, if she ever got out of this she was going to kill Micah she told herself once again. Kieran didn't come in to bring her any more food or water. Seemed like he'd been assigned other tasks. Felt like she had lost a friend. 

Colm walked in the next day when it was still light out, setting down another plate of raw, bloody meat in front of her. He eyed her for a moment, maybe trying to decide something. She watched him silently, feeling like hatred was the only thing keeping her going at this point. 

"You'd best eat. I ain't giving you nothing else." He growled at her. Adeline didn't move, turning her face to the wall. After a long moment of silence, during which she could feel his eyes on her, he picked up the plate and left. The next day was the same, except he left the plate of raw meat there for an hour or two before coming to retrieve it after sunset. Her stomach cramped, feeling like it was eating itself as she looked at the meat, glossy red in the light. This time, when Colm came to retrieve the plate, he moved it aside and looked down at her.

"Think it might be time to start." Clapping his hands together in anticipation, he smiled. "Alright, sweetheart." Colm pulled off his vest, tossing it over the short stall wall and adjusted his shirt just a bit before pulling a small pocket knife out of his vest pocket. Adeline jerked at her hands but the rope held tight, digging into her skin as she pulled against them. "I'm going to ask some questions to get to know you, and you're not going to lie to me." As he said that, he turned to show her a knife in his hands. The blade glinted in the lantern light. She tried to scrambled away from him, stuck in the corner of the stall as he approached. Kicking at him as he went down on one knee in front of her. His hand grabbed one of her ankles, pinning it down as he pressed the tip of the knife into her calf. 

"You're going to hold still or I'm going to cut your fucking foot off." He hissed close to her ear, eyes flashing gold at her. Adeline stilled herself, breathing heavy in fear. There was no doubt in her mind that he would. Seemingly pleased with her obedience, he pulled the knife back. "Good girl." Almost lovingly, he rubbed his thumb against the bare skin of her ankle. 

"Did you bond with your pack?" He asked, curious. Adeline was confused, it seemed like such a dumb question. What game was he playing?

"Why would you ask that? You already know." She asked, fear making her throat tight. His brows lowered as he scowled at her. 

"Did you bond with your pack?" He asked again, growling this time. The hand on her ankle tightened painfully, a warning. 

"Yes." She gasped out. The pressure released as he smiled at her, stroking her cheek with a knuckle. 

"There see, starting with easy questions. Did you bond with them proper? I know some packs would have taken pity on you, being human and all." Leaning in, his beard scratched at her cheek. "Did they fuck you good in front of everyone? One right after another until you weren't nothing but a loose hole?" It was a struggle to keep her breathing steady. Anger in her chest burned like a good whiskey but she knew if she talked back he'd ram that knife somewhere unpleasant. "Come on now, don't be shy. We're going to be real familiar soon enough." To add to his threat, he lightly traced the knife tip down her calf just above where he held her ankle. He pressed it against the flesh harder but she pressed her lips together in a thin line, refusing to answer him. There was only a second of pause before he rammed the blade into the muscle of her calf. She screeched at the sudden shock of pain so much it was almost numb.

"Did you?" He growled.

"Yes." It came out a sob. Leaving the blade in her leg, he reached up to brush her hair from her face, shushing her with care. 

"There you go, it's better to just answer my questions. Now, you got two mating scars, I know Morgan's scent. Who's the other?" His hand slipped to the crook of her neck, holding it tenderly. Adeline's breath came ragged as she tried to not cry from the pain in her leg, revulsed by his touch. 

"Marston." The name shuddered on her lips. Colm nodded, his thumb rubbing against her skin like he could calm her. She would have preferred another knife in her leg.

"Of course, Marston. Did you mate them traditional like? At the same time? Did you let them fill you up like the cheapest whore at a two cent saloon?" His words were meant to get a rise out of her but she wasn't going to give it to him. "Did you mate them proper?" He asked again, twisting the knife in her calf. 

"Yes!" She screamed, anything to make him stop. The knife was ripped out of her, only causing more damage, more pain. 

"You seem a surprisingly traditional sort." Colm sounded mildly impressed. Adeline huffed as she tried to shake her head and breathe around the pain. She didn't want to impress Colm. "I think you'll appreciate this then, a good and traditional turning." He faded into a dull brown wolf, gone white at the muzzle and ruff. Gold eyes watched her, waiting for something. She couldn't guess what, didn't want to know. Blood was leaking from the stab wound in her calf, itching against the hairs on her leg. 

Without a warning, he fell on her, sinking his teeth into her side and shaking his head. Her body was slammed against the ground and wall of the stall as he started ripping and pulling at her flesh and skin. She could feel him tearing off chunks of her. Gulping them down as he came back for more. Claws ripped across her chest and face as he dug into her. She cried out, screaming and sobbing. There was no holding back now. No reason. When he pulled away, standing over her with blood dripping from his claws and muzzle, she looked down to her side. Blood and gore spilled out around her, white bone, a bright contrast, peeked out of the gore and organs, dark and purple and pulsing, were visible in the massive hole in her side he'd ripped open. It was hard to breathe. Her side felt white hot, burning like ice. She cried out, closing her eyes to look away from her own innards. A rushing in her ears grew loud and she felt her limbs shake as her body threatened to pass out. Sobs shook her body.

"Don't die yet." Colm slipped back to human, crouching in front of her as he sliced open his palm. Smearing his own blood across her wounds, he made a point to cover as much of her with his own blood as he could manage. “It’s in the blood, see? You have to share it. I take a lot of yours, you take a little of mine.” Squeezing at the hinge of her jaw, he made a point of forcing her mouth open and wiping his blood across her lips and tongue. It was hot against her skin and the taste made her want to retch. Reaching down, he smoothed the ripped and frayed skin around the open hole on her side. It was big enough his hand couldn't reach from one side to the other. Tears rolled down her face as she sobbed and whimpered at his touch. The wound was on fire, burning hot and freezing cold at the same time. Both sensations chasing each other through her veins. She could feel it slowly reaching her head, wrapping around her brain and stabbing into it. Colm sat back on his heels, watching her. “Oh, that’s good. Pain means its working.” Inside her body felt as though it were being torn apart again, clawed to shreds from the inside out. Screaming out in pain, begging for relief, tears spilled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. After a long minute of watching, Colm grew disinterested, pulling away from her finally.

“I ain’t going to listen to you bitch all night, though” He groaned, moving to grab something off the stall gate. Jerking her hair hard enough to rip a few strands out, he forced cold metal into her mouth pulling back at the corners painfully. In her panic, it took a few minutes for her to realize he’d gagged her with a bit. 

“Be thankfulI I didn’t use the wire bit.” He sneered before blowing out the lantern hanging nearby. “Enjoy your night, human. If you survive things’ll look a lot different in a few days.” Without more taunting, he left the stall, banging the gate behind him. She collapsed to the floor in a puddle of her own blood and offal. Her body shivered, too much of her blood spilling out of her. Soaking into the old hay beneath her. 

A fuzziness gripped her brain from behind, like something else was worming its way inside her skull. She could smell everything. Every sound was distinct and too loud. Her skin itched and burned and she wanted to peel it off to spare herself any more. The iron chain around her burned her neck and chest, her skin felt like it was blistering under its weight. Exhaustion settled in her chest, making lay limp against the dirt and whine softly against the heat. Every small movement reminded her of the gaping hole in her side. Why hadn't she died yet? No one could live through that, and here she was, counting her ribs by sight. She faded out, dreams of teeth and claws making her move painfully. 

She woke when the barn door opened and a light, blurry to her eyes, came in. Kieran hung the lantern up and took in the mess before him. He let out a heavy sigh before going down on one knee in front of her.

"You still there, Ma'am?" His hand grabbed her head, tilting it to the side gingerly. A whine came from her chest, even the small movement making her hurt more. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." Her mind wouldn't think. She couldn't force herself to understand him. "Colm said I could clean you up. I don't..." His eyes looked down at the bite in her side. "I don't think I can do much for you." Her eyes finally tracked up to his face. Kieran sighed as he slid an arm under her shoulder to pull her up to sit. Everywhere he touched her bare skin felt like fire was burning through her. 

"You can't die, not if the wolf's gotten in you." He said as she moaned in pain, a deep guttural sound. He knew what she wanted right then, even if he couldn't give it to her. She tried to move away from the pain, wanted anything to make it stop. Everytime she tried to move the effort died, her limbs heavy and slow to respond. Kieran moved to wrap cloth around her middle, covering the hole at least. Every touch on it burned. He smelled scared. Turning her head to scent him, fear was rolling off him clear as if she could see it. It struck her as odd that she could smell him like that. 

Once he was done, he laid her back down on the dirt, seemingly fretting over what to do next. She didn't have the energy in her to pick herself up but was glad he'd arranged her limbs somewhat comfortably. For a second, he made as if to pull the iron off her chest but pulled back like he'd been burnt when he touched it. She groaned. It felt like it would burn completely through her the longer it was on. Kieran stuttered out an apology, cradling his hand against his chest. 

"I-I-I can't take it off, Adeline. He'll k-k-kill me." It was a whisper she could barely understand. But she felt it. Smelled his fear, knew he wasn't lying. Kieran's hands trembled just above her, wanting to help. A call from outside the barn drew his attention and he scrambled away, leaving her there. Inside, feelings welled up. Feelings that weren't hers. 

_Rip_

_Tear_

Not even fully formed words but the feel of them, inside her brain. Urging her to move, to drag herself to all fours, to pull at the rope. _pull_ All she wanted was for the pain to stop, the mind numbing pain turning her thoughts sluggish and simple. The rope at her wrists held her. _get free_ Part of her knew something was wrong with her, on the inside. Something other than the pain in her side. 

The side of the bite didn't want to move how she wanted. It was slower, sometimes jerking without warning or shaking. Her wrists burned and blistered under the iron shackles, the chain wrapped around her chest felt like it could burn her to her bone. Finally the pain won out over the drive to escape _escape_ and she collapsed, as far away from the wall as the rope would let her. 

"Still alive?" Colms voice brought the light of morning with it, spilling through the barn door as he stepped into the stall. Adeline couldn't pick her head up but she felt a small growl rumbled in her chest as he got near her. _hate_ Colm removing the bit in her mouth didn't even register compared to the pain burning in her. Compared to her side, to her face and chest. It felt like he'd nearly sliced her nose off when he'd clawed her face. She was startled when he crouched in front of her, flinching away _get away_ as he dug his hand into her hair and pulled sharply. As her head was manipulated, the world spun and she tried to close her eyes, feeling saliva drip down her chin. "Just barely, huh? Bet you're starting to hate that iron now." He smirked at her. _hate him_ When she dared to open her eyes to look at him, the sunlight was too bright and she winced away. Why was it so hard to gather her thoughts? Letting her head drop, he let out a low whistle as he ran his hand over the bite in her side. She followed his gaze down to see it the cloth wrapped around it was soaked through with blood. The lightest touch made a shock of pain run through her and Colm grinned as she shook against it, pressing down until she cried out. _get away_

"Guess we can see what happens first, this gets infected enough to kill you or you turn wolf enough to heal it." The idea seemed to amuse him. She struggled weakly against him, tears rolling down her cheeks as the pain ate into her. "I suppose I should apologize that I forgot to mention we have to do this a few more times. Can't see it getting less painful though." The pain burned inside her, making her try to get away from it, from Colm, but she was too exhausted. Instead she shivered against it, her head hanging loose as she openly sobbed. 

Colm shifted into wolf, licking across her face a few times. She'd never felt more disgusted. _not mate_ There was less of a frenzy to him this time and that made it worse. He leisurely ripped into her thigh, tearing off chunks and gulping them down as she screamed. How could she recover from this? He slipped back to human, slicing his palm open before forcing his blood in her mouth again, hand around her throat and jaw. Her empty stomach rebelled at the taste and she moved to vomit _foul_ but Colm covered her mouth with his hand, hard enough to bruise. 

"No, you gotta keep it down or it won't work." His other hand moved to stroke her throat, encouraging her to swallow. "Besides, I ain't feeding you. Best take what you get." The revulsion she felt made her cheeks burn under his fingers. _rip_ "You'll turn soon enough, be an obedient little Beta." She struggled weakly, trying to jerk free of his grip but he seemed satisfied enough and let her go. "Bet they never mentioned that," She hated his stupid fucking laugh. "I turn you, you have to listen to me." _bite_ Her mind couldn't form a single straight thought but she reached out with her tied hands, grabbing his ankle and pulling herself to it to sink her teeth in. Blood gushed into her mouth as her teeth broke through the skin. Colm gave yelp of surprise, kicking her in the head to get her off him. 

"Jesus fuck, you already got fangs?" He sounded more interested than mad. Adeline collapsed to the floor, what energy she had wasted on her small attack was gone. A hand rocked her head to the side, a thumb pulling her lip up a bit. "Oh, you'll be turned in another day or two then." There was glee in his voice, and maybe a bit of surprise. Patting her face, _kill_ Colm left her lying on the hay. 

Kieran crept into the barn later, moving timidly across the floor to kneel beside her. It took a long while for her to understand who he was _Beta_ and what he was doing. As careful as he was, moving her, it still made her cry out as he wrapped up her thigh. Slipping a hand behind her shoulder, he pulled her up a bit. _helping_ Something cold hit her mouth and she sputtered, not realizing what it was at first. _thirst_ Gulping down the water, her hands scrambled for the canteen Kieran was holding for her. 

"What's wrong," Her words were slow, halting, hard to form. "with me?" Kieran set the canteen down, trying to look under the wrappings around her waist._pain_ She tried to twist away from him, regretting it immediately. "Can't," The sentence took too long to make. That she knew, but not why. "think."

"The wolf's in you." He said, wincing in sympathy as he saw the first signs of infection settling into the open wound in her side. _fight_ "I don't even have anything to give you. I've been looking for any kind of medicine but Colm ain't let me buy any. I'm sorry, Miss." _ally_ Turning her head into his chest, she wanted to hide from everything. She couldn't escape, she couldn't hide, she couldn't fight. Kieran did her the favor of letting her hide her face for a few moments. Until someone was calling him away, leaving her in a heap on the floor. He threw an old horse blanket over her as she shivered, slipping unconscious once again. _escape_ Someone else's thoughts whispered in her ear.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parental Advisory: Contains strong language, gore, mild cannibalism, physical violence and sweet retribution

When Colm came back the next day she was only somewhat aware of it. The leg he'd taken chunks out of didn't want to move, her arms trembled when she'd tried to move it with her hands.Her stomach gnawed at her, distracting her from the pain. It'd been days since he'd fed her. _Hungry_ Even with everything happening to her, that was all she could focus on. _Devour_ A base need left unfulfilled. Colm laughed, mocking her as she lay limp at his feet. _Gorge_

"Looking kind of rough there. Better turn faster or you won't make it." Crouching beside her, he pulled her towards him by her hair. A whine slipped out as her aching body protested the movement. "You smelling like wolf yet?" He said under his breath, pressing his nose to her neck and scenting her. _kill_ "Yeah, starting to." Distantly, she felt a twinge of irritation at his satisfaction. _Kill_ She hit the ground with a heavy thud, unable to catch herself as he let go of her hair. When he faded into a wolf, something in her pulled tight. _KILL_ This time, as his teeth sank into her hip, trying to rip more of her apart, she curled around him. Sinking her teeth into anything she could get close to. _FIGHT_ Mostly she got a mouthful of hair, but her fingers curled around his snout try to pry it off her. Pain was almost an old friend now, tearing through her like lightning as Colm snapped at her face, at her hands. His clawed hand settled around her throat, holding her down as he ripped off chunks of her flesh and ate them. 

Adeline's eyes rolled back in her head as she felt herself float off. Colm was left to smear blood across her face without resistance. He paused, looking at her laying there. _kill_ Did he even feel bad about it? Could he? _fight_ It was as if she was watching the ordeal from a separate vantage point now. In disgust, he stormed out. Someone else was breathing for her, swallowing the taste of blood down her dry throat. 

Kieran crept in later, she couldn't keep the time in her head straight, drifting in and out like she was. It was dark out, she thought. When he put a hand on her, she growled at him, her eyes snapping open to glare without recognizing him. Who was this wolf? Bothering her when she was in pain. Her hands, still bound tight with rope, pushed against the floor, slipping against the hay, as she tried to move away from him. 

"A-A-Adeline." His voice shook in a hoarse whisper. "It's Kieran. Don't move, you'll just hurt more." It was a familiar voice. When he moved closer, it was a familiar scent. "Christ," He cursed under his breath, his hand hovering over the exposed bone of her hip. It burned like hellfire every time she tried to move her leg, making the bad leg shake even more with effort to move. Hands against her skin stung, cloth wrapped not tight enough against the exposed wound. She faded back out, unconcerned. Should she care? Something in her said she probably should, but there wasn't anything left to care. Her dreams were uncoordinated, bits and pieces that didn't quite fit together. She was drowning, she was falling, she was running, she couldn't find shelter. Howls around her but none her pack. One howl high above the others sent shivers down her spine, high pitched and thready. 

_kill_ Whispers, not her own, pulled her back. A scent in her nose made her wrinkle it up, pulling at the deep gouge across the bridge. Dried blood cracked open and fresh blood seeped out, trailing down her face. She didn't like the scent. _Alpha_ An Alpha she didn't like. _kill him_

"Looking rough today." The Alpha laughed. The corner of her lip curled up in a growl, warning him back. "Still feisty, though. That's good." When his hand sank into her hair, pulling her head back to scent her. Her side screamed, agony and fire, as he twisted her upright. Angry now, her eyes shot open, her vision unclear, hazy, dim. The Alpha had his face buried in her neck, scenting her. _Kill Him_

He leaned in close, drawing a heavy breath from under her jaw and let out a low groan. Her hands clenched into fists under the bindings, her arms tense as anger burned white hot in her core. _KILL HIM_ He wasn't her mate. He had taken her from her mates. He was keeping her from her mates. He was between her and her mates. _KILL HIM_ Rage built up so strong she started to tremble with it and her lip pulled up into a snarl, sharp canines showing. 

"That smell..." The Alpha paused, surprised. His eyes turned to her face, gold now as her scent drew him in. "Omega..." She could smell the lust rolling off him. How dare he! _KILL HIM_ He was nearly gone to it when she felt a surge of rage push away the weakness in her. Push away the pain. How dare he scent her! How dare he abuse her so! _KILL HIM_ She leaned in suddenly with canines sharper than they had been before, ripping through skin and muscle and veins before throwing her head back as blood gushed against her face. The Alpha scrambled away from her as his blood spilled down his chest, staining his shirt red, the gaping hole in his neck flowing like a waterfall. He only had a few seconds to whimper before his eyes rolled back and he fell limp to the dirt floor. The rage that had fueled her slipped away once he was gone. Her head fell limp to the ground once again. She could smell him, could hear his heart stop beating. It was satisfying but her stomach growled, protesting it's emptiness. And there was fresh meat, cooling in front of her. _feast_ She crawled to it, one leg not working at all, tearing chunks off with claws and hardly swallowing as she gulped down still warm meat. 

The open barn door let a breeze carry scents into the dark stall. For a minute, her heart fluttered at the recognition of a scent. She picked her head up, trying to catch the scent again, breathing in deep. Was that her name being called? What was her name? It was so far away, she couldn't be sure. Maybe just a bird. Her mind faded out again, only thinking to eat until her stomach stopped aching. Brought back by another breeze carrying a scent she couldn't ignore. Sounds outside the barn, loud, explosive, startled her and she crawled into the far corner of the stall. Repetitive, but without rhythm, the loud noise popped again and again. It was a dangerous noise, she knew that much but couldn't remember what it was. 

A Beta ran into the barn, huffing and scared. Familiar, helpful. The Beta scrambled into her stall, freezing when he saw the carcass dead in the middle of the floor. He cursed, stumbling back against the half wall as his eyes scanned over to her. She didn't growl at him, only waited to see what he'd do, on edge and ready for a fight.

"Adeline?" His voice shook as he said the word. She didn't recognize it. Her face itched as blood dried on her chin and she rubbed at it with the back of her hand. It didn't help any, her hands were bloody enough on their own. She kept her eyes trained on the Beta. He'd been helpful before but she was still mistrustful. More loud noises made her flinch and they both looked out the barn door. The Beta tripped past the carcass of the Alpha, stumbling into the hay beside her. He was scared. Scared enough she could taste it. Moving closer to him, she dragged a tongue up his temple, tasting his sweat, her hand on his jaw holding his head still. Fear, acrid. The Beta whimpered, looking between her and the barn door, undecided over what he should be more afraid of. Movement outside the barn drew her attention, an enemy? She moved to crouch over the Beta. Even if her hands were bound, she was going to fight. Her side was throbbing but she pushed that distraction away. Her leg protested when she moved it underneath her, but she needed it to work right now.

A female wolf walked into the barn, looking around. The scent carried and the smell of an Omega hit her nose. Dangerous. Strong. She growled low in her throat. The female froze in her steps, turning her head to look at the source of the warning. The Beta beneath her stuttered, trying to move back from the Omega. The growl rose into a snarl as the Omega stepped closer. She wasn't about to give up ground. Seeing her reaction, the Omega took a few steps back, glancing out the open barn door. 

"Arthur! John! Get your asses over here!" The Omega was afraid. Good. She wasn't. She was furious. More footsteps came running and a large male burst out of the sunlight. He skidded to a stop when he caught sight of her. 

"Addy?" His voice rasped. She took a moment to scent him, the breeze finally blowing into the barn. A Beta. _Her_ Beta. Now the rope around her wrists was keeping her from him. She panicked, pulling as hard as she could to get to him. "Oh god, Addy." It was almost reverent the way he said it. "Arthur, she's in here!" Frustrated by the restraint, she began chewing at the rope, at her wrists, anything to get free. Get to her mate.

"Stop her! She'll rip her wrists open!" The Beta beneath her called out, trying to scramble away from her. Her Beta was over the half wall in a second, holding her head still and away from her hands. She relaxed into his touch. It was the nicest feeling that she could remember. A knife blade glinted, moving quick to cut her restraints and Her Beta helped pull the rope from her raw wrists. Her hands were on him, running through his hair, over his clothes, pulling at buttons. Why was he clothed? She wanted his skin. Footsteps thundered against the dirt floor of the barn and the scent of an Alpha carried on the air. Her Alpha. She looked up, past Her Beta, pinning Her Alpha where he stood, his eyes flashing gold in response to her gaze. 

"Jesus, what'd he do to you, Lamb?" Her Alpha's eyes slid to the carcass, cold now. "What'd you do to him?" Her Beta pressed his nose under her jaw, scenting her. It was glorious. She arched her head back, giving him her throat. 

"She's turned." The Omega said, still there. She snarled at the voice, turning her attention to the intruder. "And she's Omega." Her Alpha turned his attention to the Omega. That made her growl, Her Beta's arms holding her down. 

"Is that even possible?" He asked. The Omega never took their eyes off her, silver eyes meeting hers. 

"Look at her." The Omega said. Her Beta turned to the other Beta, still scared, still pressed into the corner of the stall.

"What'd you fucking do to her, O'Driscoll?" He yelled. He was angry. She liked him angry but the other Beta didn't deserve his wrath. Pulling away from him, she crouched over the other Beta again, pushing him back into the hay beneath her. "Addy," Her Beta sighed. 

"I-I-I didn't do a-a-anything, sir. Colm did!" The Beta pointed to the carcass. Her Beta looked, gave a laugh that didn't hold any mirth. 

"Guess she got him back for it." He reached out for her. "Alright, Addy. I won't kill him." He seemed sincere. She crawled into his arms, feeling relief in her chest. As much as she was itching to fight, she couldn't beat anyone right now injured as she was. She could only posture. "Why can't we feel her?"

"C-C-Colm kept an iron chain around her chest." The other Beta stuttered out. Her Beta cursed, reaching under the shreds of clothing still covering her and yelping in surprise when his hand closed around the iron. She yelped as it was moved, new pain flaring to life as the iron shifted against the abused skin. 

"Alright, John, get her in the house. Sadie, see if you can help with her. O'Driscoll, you're coming with me." Her Alpha growled low at the Beta and she bared her teeth in his defense. Her mates were starting to annoy her. 

"I won't hurt him, Lamb, Jesus. John, get!" He barked an order and Her Beta followed, pulling her onto unsteady feet. Her bad leg shot through, stabbing in the thigh and hip with every step. She threw an arm over Her Beta's shoulder, leaning on him heavily as she slowly limped out of the barn. He made a grumble of disapproval, scooping her up to cradle her against his chest. She wanted to complain but his scent was so nice, she curled against him and pressed her nose to his throat. 

"Don't know how much help I can be." The Omega said, following behind Her Beta. She growled low in her chest at the sound of their voice. 

"Addy, don't growl at Sadie." Her Beta chided her. The scent of death hung in the air. She peeked her head up, glancing around the open area to see corpses littering the ground. Blood, metallic, clung to her nose and she buried her face against his chest again. His scent was far more pleasant than blood. As they neared the house, another wolf ran up. She could tell he was an Alpha before he got close and she was already digging her claws into Her Beta's arms, snarling and showing her teeth at him. The Alpha stopped short, raising his hands in surrender as Her Beta positioned himself between her and the rival Alpha. "This ain't what I was expecting." Her Beta grumbled, annoyed, as he carried her out of the sunlight into the house. Had the other Alpha annoyed him? Had _she_ annoyed him? The thought made her whimper. Her Beta pressed his mouth against her temple, shushing her with a soft rumble in his throat. Calming her. He set her down on a worn couch, setting a warm blanket on her. She curled towards him, her hand caught tight in his shirt. Why was he still wearing a shirt? Laying down on the soft surface, the chain against her skin shifted, burning new flesh and pressing into already blistering skin. She whined, arching away from the pain. Her Beta helped her sit up, cooing to her. 

"Is it better if you sit up?" He asked. She nodded, clinging to him. "Alright." 

"We gotta get that chain off her. She's not going to start healing with it on." The Omega said. Hands pulled the clothing hanging on her up, exposing her back. The Omega gave a sympathetic hiss, pulling up the heavy padlock. "Give me your gun." The Omega barked. Her Beta handed over his gun, palming the back of her head to hold her close against him. She startled at the loud bang of the gun, scrambling against him as they pulled the iron chain off her. Skin stuck to the iron, ripping free and bleeding as they dug it out of her. Blistered skin tore, making her whimper and shiver. The iron chain was thrown across the room with anger. The Omega turned away, cursing under their breath. 

Something clicked back into place inside her head. A heavy sigh of relief left her as a hole inside her was filled with what she had been missing. Her mates were with her again. Her Beta cursed loudly, going stiff for a minute. She felt past the end of herself, feeling their worry, their anger. 

"Shit, If she hadn't killed Colm, I'd rip him apart myself." Her Beta growled.The door swung open, her Alpha dragging the fearful Beta behind him. 

"I felt that outside. Damn, Lamb." His voice caught when he saw her bare back. "Shit." The Beta in his hand squeaked as Her Alpha's hands tightened painfully. "Get her bandaged up!" He snarled. The other Alpha she'd seen earlier came walking in after him and the smell set her teeth on edge. The growl rumbled low in her as she started trying to climb out of Her Beta's arms to challenge him. Damn the pain, that was an Alpha getting close to her.

"Arthur!" Her Beta called out. "I can't hold her! Addy, stop fighting, It's only Charles!"

"I can step outside." The other Alpha offered. He'd better step outside! Her hands slipped against Her Beta's arm as she struggled to free herself from his grasp. 

"No, Charles. We need your help bandaging her. This O'Driscoll says infection was starting to set in." Her Alpha spoke, commanding. "Lamb," He moved to block her vision, catching her eyes with his gaze. She stared at him as his eyes bled into gold and snarled over her, commanding. **"Stop fighting us."** His voice held power, ringing in her chest, inside her skull, making her listen, making her submit. She went limp without thought in Her Beta's hold, eyes averted from Her Alpha. If her back hadn't been an entire wall of pain she would have shown her belly.

"Do that too much and it won't work." The Omega warned. Her Alpha nodded. He crouched in front of her, Her Beta's back to him as she peeked over his shoulder to meet the now blue eyes. 

"Lamb, you gotta stay calm. We're going to help you, alright?" His words were slow. He reached out, holding a warm hand against her cheek and she closed her eyes, relishing the touch. Oh she wanted him to touch her forever. "When was the last time she spoke?"

"Y-Y-Yesterday." The Beta stuttered. "She was already h-h-half in the moon then. Had f-f-fangs." 

"Addy," Her Beta's voice was in her ear. "Addy, can you remember yourself?" It was a low whisper. She didn't understand what he was asking and she made a half hearted mumbled reply that didn't really sound like anything. "Arthur, it took me a good month to come back to myself."

"Yeah, but you didn't turn Omega. You ever even heard of that happening?" Her Alpha's thumb rubbed against her cheek, avoiding the slashes. She wanted to burrow into him and never leave. "Lamb, what's my name?" He pulled her back with his eyes. 

"Alpha..." It came out a soft sigh, feeling good on her lips. He shuddered as she said the word, pulling his hand back. The Omega laughed hard, nearly doubling over.

"Could have told you that would happen. Just be thankful she ain't gone into heat right away." The Omega said as Her Alpha stepped away, coughing. A blush was rising up his neck."Feral Omega in her first heat? Might as well just shoot everybody nearby. Be kinder than what she'd do." Cool hands on her back startled her, making her flinch and her Beta shushing her. 

"Hopefully she's not feral when that happens." The other Alpha spoke low, calm and even. He was smoothing something cold along her shoulders, soothing her blistered skin. It was enough to make her sigh and go slack in relief. "We're going to have to pull these other bandages off. John, get her front with this." Something was passed over her shoulder to Her Beta but she wasn't paying attention. The relief from iron burns was heaven as he rubbed something over the burns on her chest.

"I-I-I couldn't do much for her. Colm wouldn't l-l-let me." The Beta was curled up against a wall, out of the way but in sight.

"You did all you could." The other Alpha said. What relief she got vanished the minute hands were laid on the bandages around her waist. The cloth stuck to her, dried blood holding it tight against the skin. She yelped, wanting to get away from the touch but knew Her Alpha would make her sit still. Her Beta buried a hand in her hair, holding her close as the careful hands of the other Alpha began pulling the cloth away. She pressed her face into his neck, finding some comfort in his scent. 

"Jesus." Her Beta was craning his neck to look down her back. "Fuck." Her hands dug into his shirt as she trembled against the pain. Once it was uncovered, exposed to the air, it was like a raw nerve. A light movement of air was enough to make it a stab of pain jolt through her. There was a silence in the room for a long minute.

"I'm not sure what to do. I've never seen someone alive like this." The other Alpha admitted. "God. And she killed him?"

"She was eating him, when I found her." The Beta said. Silence fell over the wolves and every head turned to look at him, then look at her. "He hadn't let me feed her for nearly five days. I had to sneak her water or she wouldn't have had that either."

"Shit. Get some fucking food cooking." Her Alpha barked, the Beta jumping to his feet and scrambling to work. The calm hands were wiping at the open wound at her waist, cleaning it out. The pain ran through her in trembling shocks as he began covering it with clean linen. 

"It's already starting to heal. Now that the chain's off, we just got to keep her held together for a day or two." The other Alpha was trying hard not to hurt her, she appreciated it. Maybe she wouldn't fight him. As the other Alpha cleaned her wounds, Her Alpha began cleaning off her face and hands. It was nearly enough to distract her from the pain. His hands slid across her arms, wiping blood off, letting his touch linger on the clean skin. It didn't take as long as dressing her wounds did though. 

By the time the other Alpha was done cleaning the wounds she was shaking, face pressed tight against Her Beta's neck. Her body wracked with pain and exhaustion. She whined and tried to twist away without realizing she was doing it. 

"That's the best I can do." He stood up, sighing heavy and dissatisfied. 

"I got a bed made up for her upstairs. Should probably feed her though, unless we want her eating us too." The Omega said, chuckling as she came down the stairs. Her Beta stood, carrying her with him. Everything felt raw, freshly opened. When he set her down again, it was onto a chair at a table. For a moment she wasn't quite sure what exactly she was supposed to do. But the scared Beta set a plate of food down in front of her, cooked and warm. She dug in, her hands clawing the meat apart as she devoured the plate, licking her fingers clean as grease dripped down them. It was good, her stomach felt satisfied in an almost uncomfortable way. A glass of water was nudged into her reach and she fell upon it, cold water spilling down her chin as she drained the glass in great gulps.

"Alright, Lamb." Her Alpha scooped her up. "Let's get you some rest." He carried her up the stairs to the loft over the main room. It wasn't a proper bed, really, more a nest of blankets and even a few pillows. Softer and less smelly than the old hay at least. When he laid her down in it, the scent of her mates's clothes were all around her and it took no time at all before she was pulling fabric to her nose and breathing in great content breaths.

"If I leave you here, will you stay put?" Her Alpha asked, crouching in front of her. She whined and reached out to him, tugging him against her. He sighed, laying down beside her, letting her curl against her. "Lamb, we gotta talk and you gotta sleep. We'll come up later. Don't worry, we'll just be downstairs." His hand brushed her hair out of her face, slipping around the back of his head. "You're alright." His voice was steady, sure of himself, reassuring. Her grasp on him loosened, grabbing up handfuls of old clothes instead. Her Alpha pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "There you go." He untangled himself from her, pulling a blanket up over her before standing up. "Get some sleep." She watched as he walked down the stairs, hat disappearing last.


	4. Chapter 4

She couldn't sleep. She was exhausted but she couldn't sleep. Her hackles were up, everything smelled too much and not enough at the same time. And her mates were downstairs talking. Talking to another Omega of all things. She didn't understand everything they said, hell, most of what they said. Talking was still hard to comprehend.

"Good call, Sadie, using our clothes for her bed." Her Alpha praised the Omega. She wanted to snarl about it, but they didn't want her to. They wanted her to be nice to the Omega. 

"I just know what I would want, if I were her." The Omega said. They hadn't tried to fight her, hadn't even touched her mates, thank god. Maybe they weren't a terrible creature. 

"How long are you keeping her here?" The other Alpha spoke. Their voices were low, hushed. Did they really think she would sleep, not be on high alert right now? Keeping one shirt of Her Alpha's clutched in her hand, she crawled across the loft to peek down at the wolves below. The pain in her side and leg was starting to fade to a constant ache instead of stabbing pain, and that was easier to deal with. The wolves downstairs were all sitting at a table.

"At least until she's healed. I'm hoping she comes back to herself by then." Her Alpha didn't sound hopeful. He sounded depressed. She pressed his shirt against her face, rubbing the fabric against her unscathed cheek to comfort herself.

"What if she doesn't?" The Omega asked. There was deep concern in their voice, it made her worry without understanding why. Everyone was upset and she couldn't understand anything, it was frustrating. She knew she should be able to understand more, knew she used to be able to. 

"She stays feral? Then I guess me and John ain't going back. We'll head out west somewhere, some place with lots of space." He gave a heavy sigh, looking out a window of the building.

"It's too early to worry about that." Her Beta spoke up. "What we should be worrying about is how Colm got her in the first place. We're supposed to believe she just wandered off? Addy wouldn't have done that. O'Driscoll, do you know how Colm got her?" The fearful Beta cringed away from the question, shaking his head. 

"N-n-no sir. He just said she was a gift. Rode up with just her and his regular enforcers. No one else." Colm seemed familiar. Why was Colm familiar? Her head hurt and she closed her eyes as thoughts flashed through her mind too fast to catch. When she looked back, Her Beta was staring up at her. Surprised to be caught, she scrambled back into the nest of scent. Boot steps climbed the stairs slow, and when Her Beta saw her, he sighed. 

"Addy, you're supposed to be sleeping." He crouched in front of her, letting her press against him. Her hands curled into his shirt. "You ain't even understanding half of what we're saying, are you?" He let out a sad sigh. Had she made him sad? That would crush her. She pressed her nose up under his jaw, giving a few soft licks, trying to placate him. Her Beta gave a small laugh, pushing her back into the bed. "Alright, alright." When he laid down next to her she felt like her heart could burst she was so happy. "I guess I wouldn't want to be alone either." He gave a groan as he bent to pull his boots off, setting his hat with them as he lay back down. She nestled her head against his shoulder, her hand worried at the buttons of his shirt, not entirely sure how to undo them. As he shifted onto his side, his hand caught up hers and stilled the motions. "Sleep, Addy." She understood that, mostly. Curling up against him, she closed her eyes and breathed in, his scent all around her. 

Her dreams were violent, painful, confusing. Teeth were biting into her, dragging her. Trapped, struggling against restraints she couldn't see until she finally broke through...something. A barrier snapped under her repeated hits and she was suddenly free of everything. 

"Addy! Wake up!" Her Beta's voice snapped through her confusion. She shook her head hard, opening her eyes to see Her Beta and Her Alpha staring her down like she was a dangerous thing. Maybe she was. She felt dangerous. Her breath was heavy, hard to catch and her heart was racing. 

"Lamb, you were dreaming. You're safe. You're with pack." Her Alpha took a careful step forward slowly, his voice was quiet. She turned her head and saw fur. The flash of it caught her eye and she twisted in on herself to see her body covered in fur. Her hands were clawed and her face was long. Sharp teeth lining the inside when she ran a thumb along them. It was less surprising than it should have been, some part of her had been expecting it. It felt right. "Just, relax, think about being human and you can shift back." He was walking her through it slowly, close enough to touch her now but kept his hands raised. She snorted, trying to think of a reason to be human. "Lamb," Her Alpha gave a warning growl. He wanted her to be human, that was enough. Taking a deep breath, she felt herself falling back as she closed her eyes. Her Alpha's hand closed around her wrist, keeping her from tripping as her legs changed underneath her. When she looked up at his eyes, she finally remembered his name.

"Arthur," His name came easily to her now, her mind, still fuzzy, felt like it was clearing out clutter. Slowly returning to some semblance of normal for her. He smiled, relief on his face. 

"Welcome back, Lamb." He pulled her into a bear hug, squeezing her tightly like she'd slip through his fingers. 

"John," She called him over and he took her offered hand in a second, cross the gap with two long strides. 

"Good to hear you talking again, Addy." His voice wavered a bit and she turned from Arthur to hold him tighter. 

"Did I try to fight Charles?" She asked after a moment, her memories of the past few days fuzzy at best and spotty in a few places. 

"You were ready to rip my throat out!" Charles called out from downstairs. His laughter carried and Adeline felt her cheeks go hot in embarrassment. Arthur picked up a blanket and threw it over her bare shoulders. 

"Since you're up, are you hungry?" He offered, resting an arm around her. She leaned into his side, taking a breath and marveling at how much better she was feeling. 

"Actually, I feel like I could do with a stiff drink." She admitted. John laughed hard, stomping ahead of her down the stairs. 

"We all could, Lamb." Arthur kept a hand on her shoulder, maybe not entirely trusting her to walk on her own. Her leg worked though, held her weight, only complained a little. Just a bare limp. She was pretty sure if she looked under the wrappings, the wounds would be closed up. Idly, she wondered if her face would scar like John's.

At the table downstairs, John already had a tumbler of thick brown liquid waiting on her. Kieran was sitting up on a bedroll in front of a couch that Charles had been laying on. Adeline couldn't help herself, she rushed to the skinny man, throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing tight. He squeaked as she knocked him over.

"Thank you." She said tightly, before standing and helping him up. He was blushing up to his ears, looking away from her. Everyone was uncomfortable now but hell if she cared. Arthur was watching her with almost shades of jealousy in his eyes. "Arthur Morgan, if you threaten this man again I will cut something off. Of you." She responded to the glint. He turned his face away, coughing and motioned towards the table. 

"You're walking better." Charles offered to change the subject, sitting down at the table as John lined up more drinks. 

"Feeling better." Adeline sat down at the table, pulling the glass to her and looked at the liquid swirling around. "Innards shouldn't be outside." She said before taking a long pull of the drink, feeling the burn all the way down. "Where's Sadie?" She couldn't be sure, but she was under the impression Sadie had been there too. "She was here, right?" John nodded as he tossed back his own shot.

"She rode into Strawberry to get you some clothes." Arthur offered as he sat at the table. For a moment he seemed to be arguing with himself then shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "Get over here, O'Driscoll." He sighed like he was annoyed with himself and poured another glass, sliding it over when Kieran sat down. Adeline looked down under the blanket at her bare and bandaged skin. 

"Thank god someone thought of that." She said. Picking up the bottle of liquor, she topped off everyone's glass. "To my new wolfhood." As she raised up her glass, the others slowly followed suit. "If I ever have to go through that again, I'll probably kill myself." It wasn't a very uplifting toast but she tossed the rest of the glass back anyways. She settled into the chair, her hip starting to complain but she had something to say before she retreated back to bed. 

"It was Micah." Her eyes were locked on the splintering wood of the table in front of her. 

"I fucking _knew it_" John slammed his hand on the table, standing up as he yelled, making Adeline flinched away from the noise. Arthur reached out and rested a hand on his arm, pulling the wolf back into his chair. All eyes were on her, she could feel them, but she didn't care to look up yet.

"He said I was going to bring the Pinkertons down on the entire pack and he wasn't dying for a human bitch." Her throat was dry as she said the words, a hand still clenched around an empty glass. "I don't think he thought Colm was going to turn me. I think he thought Colm was going to kill me. He wanted to get rid of me." A heavy silence hung in the air. She could feel anger kindling alive inside Arthur and John. A hand reached out to rest on her wrist, pulling the glass out of her hand gently.

"You're getting tired again, Lamb." Arthur's voice was soft. She looked up at him, mouth drawn tight and eyes stinging. "You still need rest."

"Is there anywhere more private than the loft?" Some part inside her wanted some place small and dark to crawl away to. To hide in. 

"There's a bedroom," Charles pointed to a closed door. "Sadie was taking it but I'm sure she'll be happy to let you sleep in there." Adeline nodded. She didn't want to put Sadie out but the desire to be somewhere safer was strong right then and she was too tired, inside and out, to fight herself. Standing up, she let her hand trail along Arthur and John's shoulders as she walked into the room and closed the door. 

The room was small, not small enough to feel safe, but small. The bed was a single, old, lumpy and squeaky. A cracked full mirror stood in the corner next to a broken, empty dresser. Her eyes were drawn to the glass, reflecting a fractured picture of her. Dropping the blanket on the bed, she went to stand in front of it. Examine herself. Maybe get used to a few new scars. She dropped the blanket she wore on the bed, it wasn't doing much for modesty anyways, and began peeling her bandages away.

The wound in her side had healed over, it was puckered new scar tissue, smooth and shiny. A ragged circle on the side of her waist. Her thigh hadn't been quite so bad, it was more clearly a bite or two lumped together but healed. The wound at her hip wasn't quite finished scarring over yet, still a little raw and tender. Across her chest and neck, the burns had almost faded and looked like they weren't even going to scar. Some good fortune at that. Her hand moved across the still sensitive skin, sore like a bruise under pressure. She had been pointedly ignoring her face, but the rest of her body wasn't so concerning. Clothing would easily cover everything. There was no hiding her face. 

Claw marks ran horizontal across her face, deep and angry. Cutting through her lips and nose, one nearly taking out her right eye, it was disheartening. She had never considered herself a vain person, valuing practical clothing and hair styles but this... maybe she was more vain than she realized. That thought didn't exactly make her feel any better. Her hand traced the marks with her own hand, four lines showing where Colm had slashed her face when he held her down. 

“You shouldn’t be up.” Arthur said, opening the door and closing it behind him as he stepped into the room. Adeline didn’t look back at him, eyes still on the mirror. 

“I look terrible.” She said, leaning in to the mirror. Her fingers still sliding across the scars. They were healed now, this was as good as they were going to get. 

"John's got scars on his face and you've never once voiced a complaint." He walked up behind her, holding her arms and resting his chin on her head. One hand strayed up to caress her cheek.

"John's a man. Men are allowed to have scars. Besides," She finally pulled her eyes away from her reflection. "His suit his face." 

"Your scars suit you." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly. "Lamb, no scar on earth could make you not beautiful." Not waiting for her to argue with him, he scooped her up and dumped her onto the mattress. Adeline didn't say anything, rolling to her good side and curling around herself. The bed sagged as he climbed in to hold her, pressed close against her in the bed that was too small for both of them. He nuzzled at her jaw. She pressed into his chest, trying to focus on his touch and not the concern and worry in her gut. Feeling the edges of herself, she could feel Arthur, guilt almost enough to eclipse her own. He smoothed her hair down, pressing a kiss to it as tears leaked from her eyes. 

"Arthur," She wanted to ask him, tell him this wasn't his fault. 

"Lamb, since the moment I met you all I wanted was to protect you. I never wanted to cause you pain. I..." He swallowed hard. 

"You're an idiot." Her voice was shaky. "This ain't your fault." 

"Forgive my stupidity." He tried to joke, his voice thinner than normal but it made Adeline laugh a little and wipe at her eyes. "Will you actually sleep now?"

"Lay with me until I fall asleep, please?" He answered her request by shifting against her to a more comfortable position and adjusting his shoulder under her head. 

She woke up alone in the room, sunlight streaming in the single window and bouncing off the cracked mirror. Her body let her know she hadn't actually slept any amount of time. An annoying fluttering panic settled in her chest. She felt exposed, and some nagging unspecified worry she couldn't quite ignore picked at her. It continued to pick at her, little by little until she was up on her feet, pacing a little in the room. As much as the limited space would allow. Everything felt too big. The bed smelled like Sadie and she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet. A stale, musty odor of the previous occupants clung a bit like cobwebs in the corners. In the other room she could hear the others talking. Talking about her. Charles seemed to be questioning how wise it was to leave her alone. She was too, to be honest, but he didn't have to be so damn blunt about it. 

Her eyes fell on the dark space under the bed. It was a brass frame bed, old and corroded and uncared for, but the legs held it off the ground a good bit. Without thinking it through enough to argue with herself, she crawled underneath. A bit of the picking panic disappeared as she curled up in the corner. 

It felt better under the bed. Small, dark space, pressed up against two walls. She let out a soft sigh, knowing she wasn't handling things very well. People who handled things well didn't curl up under their bed and cry. The door of the bedroom opened and boots walked in. They paused in front of the bed. She could recognize John's scent. He paused a moment before crouching down to look under the bed at her, brow knit in worry. 

"You feeling alright?" 

"I wish you would all stop asking me that. I'm clearly not." She snipped at him. John nodded and set his hat aside.

"Fair enough. Scoot over." It was a tighter fit for him than her, but he managed to squeeze under beside her. He pulled his small bandana off and handed it to her. "You'll feel better with this." She took the offered fabric and held it close enough to scent. Of course he was right but she grumbled at him anyways. "Addy, it's going to just take a bit for you to adjust." 

"I know, realistically, everything is fine now." She tried to explain, maybe more for herself than for John, but he listened anyway. Taking a breath to fight back against tears, she sniffed. "I know with you, and Arthur and Sadie and Charles, here, nothing is going to happen to me." His hand moved to brush a strand of hair from her face as she talked. "But everything is different. My eyes hurt and everything smells so strongly and I can hear all of you talking in the next room like I'm right beside you. I feel like I'm going crazy, I'm under a bed for god's sake." John waited for her to talk herself out. 

"I didn't ask for it." The words came shaky, hoarse, a whisper that scratched her throat enough to shake her shoulders in a cough. It was important that he knew she didn't break her promise to him. "I didn't," She had to stop talking to breathe. "I didn't break my promise. I tried to get away."

"I know you did, I know." He shushed her, smoothing her sweaty hair away from her face and letting his hand rest on her cheek for a moment. His thumb brushed away a few tears that had started to fall. "You're not crazy, you want a den. A den would make you feel better but we don't have one for you right now. We..." He took a minute to think of the right words. "we weren't prepared for this. If we had been, maybe we'd have done things differently." She watched as cogs turned in his head and he glanced up at the bed above them. "But I think I can give you a damn den, at least. Come on." It took a little more squirming for him to get out than it took to get under, but John managed to and held a hand out to pull Adeline after her. She stepped back as he picked up the brass framed bed and flipped it upside down. The mattress fell to the floor with a heavy thud, the underside a good deal cleaner the than the topside. The tall headboard and footboard wobbled a bit, the frame sitting lopsided because of the height differences, but he used his foot to shove it back into the corner. Pulling a blanket over the slats of the headboard to close off one more side, he stepped back admiring his work. It was a small dark place, like she wanted. 

"Not the best den, but better." He seemed proud of his idea, smiling at her. Adeline looked at him like he had lost his mind but humored him, crawling under the frame. She looked up at the open slats above her. If she was on the high side of the frame, she could sit upright. 

"Still too open." She told him, not wanting to admit that it was working a little. 

"Just need more blankets!" He seemed to think they had an endless supply somewhere and quickly darted out of the room. Adeline clutched his bandana to her chest, still sitting cross legged on the upturned mattress. Arthur's head peeked into the room, looking about as confused as Adeline was. His eyes danced over the upside down bed and suddenly seemed to understand. 

"Oh, I see what he meant." He grumbled. She wanted to say something, but he vanished out the door again and she didn't care to follow after him. It was only a few minutes before John came back into the room, arms full of old horse blankets. He tossed them over the frame, leaving only half of one long side open. Arthur came in after him, handing her their old clothes, somehow agreeing with John's idea. 

As the sides were covered and she was afforded her small, dark space with John and Arthur's scent in her lap, some frantic feeling in her calmed. She wasn't sure if it was because of the effort her mates were going to or because of the attempt at a den. It wasn't really important why, she supposed. John crouched at the opening, grinning like a fool.

"Better, right?" He asked. She frowned, looking at the space.

"Yes." It was a tightly held word. He was going to think he was so smart now. He laughed, on hand on the top of the frame to balance himself.

"May I come in?" He asked, faking formality. Adeline quirked her eye brow, looking at him in confusion. 

"You're asking?" She looked around the pitiful, makeshift space. 

"Only a fool would go into an Omega's den without permission." He recited it like it was some kind of saying. Maybe it was. She had to snicker a little bit, he was being so silly. It was for her benefit, she realized, but she appreciated it all the same. 

"Oh, get in here, you fool." She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him in, falling back as he landed on top of her. His closeness was sudden enough to make her breath stall. It had been too long since they had been close and whole and unharmed. John looked down at her, brush hair out of her face. 

"It really will be okay, Addy. Things'll just be different for you, but it'll be okay." His thumb traced the scar across her nose and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks at his touch. "I've been there, I know how hard this is." 

"Did you have anybody to show you how?" She asked, remembering his story of how he and Arthur met. John shook his head slowly. 

"No. Funny enough, I killed the wolf who turned me too. Guess it's a right of passage for us that was made." He kissed the scar where it crossed the bridge of her nose. Some small bit of ice ran down her spine as she thought about how much worse a position she'd be in if she didn't have her mates. She buried her face against his shoulder, wanting to be closer than possible to him. 

"Tell me what a real den would look like." She wanted to be distracted, wanted to hear his voice ramble on and let her mind stop racing so much. John's hand wrapped around the back of her head as he slid off her to lay pressed beside her. 

"Oh, well, I'd find you a big tree, with big heavy roots. Maybe an ancient oak. Maybe on the bank of a river, so you could hear the water while you slept. Not close to any roads, so no one would bother you. And I'd dig down, under the tree, in between the roots. Nice cool earth, tamped down tight. Big enough for all three of us. I'd make you a bed out of dry blankets, and warm furs, and we'd give you our old clothes. You'd line it with them, of course." She laughed at his words.

"Of course." She still didn't open her eyes, turning her head to press it against his neck and enjoy the vibrations as he carried on. 

"It'd be safe, easy to defend, easy to hide. I'd make sure none of the bushes outside were disturbed so no one could see it." His hand rubbed soft circles along her back and she could feel herself relaxing against him. "A good, proper den."

"I must be losing my mind, because that actually sounds amazing." She huffed a bit, mostly amused with herself. John gave a soft laugh.

"You're not. You gotta just, let what's happening happen. We got you." His arms tightened around her, squeezing her close. "You were already a good wolf when you were human." Breathing in his scent, Adeline pulled back a bit to look up at him. 

His hand ran down the side of her hip, over her scar, and slipped under her thigh to pull it up over her hip. Dipping his head down, he kissed softly at her neck. Automatically her head bent back, giving him access. Her hands tangled up into his hair as a hand dipped down to her warm mound. As his fingers grazed against her folds, her hips bucked into his hand. She wanted more of him, a fire in her burning brighter than she had realized. A soft, trembling moan slipped out of her as John moved his thumb against her sensitive nub. The hand holding the back of her head tightened, pulling her closer as he dragged his tongue across the column of her throat. 

When her hips bucked against him again, he slipped a finger inside her, finding her already wet and ready. The kisses at her neck moved up to her jaw, along her scars to her mouth, gentle and heavy against her lips as he pumped his fingers in and out of her a few times. Her hand moved down to grab his wrist, pull him free of her as she tried to undo his pants with one hand. John pulled away from her mouth to whisper in her ear. 

"Shhh, go slow." His voice was low, sending a tremor down her spine. He slid his hand down her arm to cover her hand and help her pull the buttons loose and push his pants down. Pressing her head into the crook of his neck, Adeline breathed in his scent and let out a raspy breath against his shoulder. She needed him. There wasn't a good way for her to explain it to herself but she _needed_ him. John seemed to understand, letting her pull his half hard member free without protest. Pulling her hair from her face, he brushed his fingers across her cheek as she began stroking him. She hiked her hips a bit to try and slide him in. Only then did he move to slow her, grabbing her hips and adjusting the angle of her legs to move inside her slowly. Their breaths came slow, heavy, deep. John managed to slip into her impossibly slow and she was sure she would die before he finished. And then he was there, pressed against her with no gap between them as her hands dug into him. He stayed there for a minute, his arms holding her close.

"I, I need," Her voice shook as she spoke into his shoulder. John moved to kiss the top of her head, one hand going back to palm her head. 

"What, Addy?" He coaxed her, fingers tangling in her hair. "What do you need?" 

"You." She trembled as she spoke and John began to move, sliding out all the way to the tip before sliding languidly back in. It was too much and she shuddered when he fully buried himself. Her breath couldn't catch and she never wanted to breath again if it felt this good. Without realizing it, she was nipping at his shoulder, at his neck. Only when she bit down and he hissed in surprise, his hips slamming harder into her, did she realize what she was doing. Pulling back a bit, surprised with herself, she could already see a bruise forming on his skin.

"You're okay. It's okay." His hoarse voice encouraged her. "It's okay." He kept the slow temp going, Adeline losing herself to the sensation as John slipped a hand between them to find her clit and began swirling a calloused finger around it. A high pitched moan rumbled in her chest as she felt like the fire inside her was going to burn her alive and she'd die happy. Steady still, with control she didn't know he had, John kept going. Sliding in and out of her while working her towards a climax. She clung to him, eyes closed as he whispered encouragement to her. When she came, it was trembling in his arms, John chasing after her with a choked cry against her temple. His hips stuttered then pressed into her deep a he spent inside her. They were sweaty and slick and as Adeline came down she felt her eyes stinging as tears slipped down her cheeks. John reached up, concerned, and held her head in place.

"What's wrong, are you hurt?" He asked, worried. "Was it that bad?" Adeline shook her head, laughing a bit as the tears fell. 

"No," She smiled at him. "no, I'm fine. It was, it was amazing." She had to sniff a bit before hiding her face against her shoulder. John chuckled a little, smoothing her hair back. 

"Damn, Addy. Can't say I ever fucked someone to tears before." 

"Shut up." She laughed into his skin. "You're an idiot." Her first beat playfully against his chest. 

"Don't I know it. I'm going to have to brag to Morgan about this."

"You'll do nothing of the sort or I won't sleep with either of you." There was no strength behind the threat and they both knew it. John nuzzled at her jaw, licking against her pulse point. 

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you won't. Why don't you get some sleep?" He asked, pulling a blanket up over her shoulders. She was already drifting off, head nestled in the crook of his neck. This time she managed to have a restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having a bit of a rough go of things so if this chapter isn't up to snuff, I apologize. Next one will be better.


	5. Chapter 5

"I have licked my wounds," She smoothed down her blouse before pulling on the paisley printed vest. Sadie had done a decent job of guessing what she'd like, even if the woman had gotten a few things that were flashier than necessary. The vest fit trim. It seemed her waistline had reduced even further in her time in captivity and it wasn't something she was exactly happy about. Arthur gave a sigh behind her, worrying his hat in his hands. "I am more than ready to head back." She could smell his reluctance. Pointedly ignoring it, she turned to look at herself in the mirror. The scars on her face didn't look so bad now, she thought. Once she was cleaned up, and clothed and feeling more righted in the world, they really weren't so distracting. 

Her hair fell down in waves past her shoulders, she'd taken it out of the braid she'd slept in that morning. Sadie had even thought of buying her a hat and she almost gleefully set it on her head. Just a small little western hat, not a wide brimmed stetson or anything but it seemed to suit her well enough. Adeline hadn't really worn a hat regularly before and she looked at herself from a few angles for a moment before adjusting it to rest at an angle. Deciding she liked it better that way, she gave a small nod to herself before turning to argue with Arthur some more. His blue eyes were studying her, intense concentration on his face. 

"Are you sure, Lamb? I mean-" He started to try and plead his case but Adeline stepped closer to him, pulling his hat from his hands and setting it on his head. 

"I'm sure, Arthur. I'm better now, and I..." A soft breath left her as she looked out the dirty window of the bedroom. "I feel like I'm supposed to be with my pack." There was a happiness to the words now, _her pack_. The smile that spread across her face was mirrored on Arthur. Standing up on her tip toes, she gave a small kiss on his nose before walking out of the room. Charles was checking his rifle before slinging it over his back. He looked up as she stepped out, waiting for her. 

"All ready?" He asked, pulling his sawed off shotgun off the table and holstering it at his side. She opened her mouth to answer only for Kieran to suddenly remember something and start bumbling over. 

"Oh, Ma'am, uh, I forgot." He reached into his coat and pulled out her knife, still in its sheath. She took it from him, pulling it from the leather and holding it out. It felt like the last piece clicked into place and she was whole again. 

"Kieran, you kept it safe?" She slid it back into the sheath and propped her leg up on a nearby chair to fasten it back around her thigh where it belonged. Kieran blushed, shrugging as he looked away at her exposed leg. 

"I said I would, and it seemed important to you." He said. After adjusting her skirts back down, she gave him a brief kiss on the cheek that just deepened his blush.

"Thank you." Behind her, Arthur coughed. He'd left Kieran alone after she'd threatened him, in fact he seemed to have warmed up to the shy man. In the week she'd spend getting her feet back underneath her, Adeline had caught Arthur and Kieran sharing drinks in front of the fireplace more than once. 

"If you're sure you're ready," He started again and she rolled her eyes at her mate. Since she'd told him she wanted to go back to the pack he'd been reluctant as hell for her to go. Part of her knew it was because he was dreading the confrontation with Micah and, inevitably, the confrontation with Dutch. Adeline's temper had not been helped by turning, that was certain. 

"Arthur, if you ask me that one more time I'm gonna shove my knife into your hand as far as it will go." She smiled sweetly at him before heading for the door, Charles laughing under his breath. 

Outside the ranch house, John and Sadie were readying the horses. She hadn't been out of the house much to start with, before she had settled it had been a terrifying prospect. Overwhelming at the least. Now though, it was less intense than she had expected. When a wind blew past, she could smell several animals nearby and could even place them without much thought. But she froze in place when her eyes landed on a leopard spotted appaloosa tied to the hitching post beside the other horses. The other horses she knew but this one, looking at her with big brown eyes, was new. A hand planted between her shoulders and pushed her forward.

"Go meet your horse, Lamb." Arthur said in his ear. It didn't seem as intimidating when the sweet creature had butted her outstretched hand with its soft nose. Of course Arthur wouldn't have gotten her a mean horse.

"It's an awful showy coat." She remarked as she ran a hand down its neck. The horse turned to butt her side. "White will show dirt easy." Arthur untied the reins and handed them over, looking a little too proud of himself. 

"He has a good temperament, that's more important than an easy to clean coat." He told her smugly. She gave him a wry smile but took the reins anyways. John was standing on the other side of Old Boy, holding back laughter. She shot him a glare and returned her attention to the new horse. 

"What's his name?" She asked as she reached up to scratch between his ears. The gelding lowered his head for her to reach easier. 

"Didn't have one. Figured, since it was your first horse, you should get to name it." He motioned for her to mount up, holding onto the bridle for her as she swung up into the saddle.

"You could name him Spots!" John offered. Adeline took a moment to realize he'd actually suggested that. 

"No, John." She suddenly understood why his horse was named Old Boy. Arthur was turning to hide a smirk before coughing to hide his laugh.

"What do you think?" He asked once he had his face under control again. She shifted in the saddle a moment. 

"He's fine, I suppose but I think I would need to ride him first if I had to give an opinion." There was a bit of hesitancy in her voice. She trusted Arthur to get her a solid horse but she was still a bit nervous about riding her own. His hand squeezed her knee.

"Just be sure of yourself and he will be too. I promise, he’s a good horse. He’s gonna take care of you.” With a pat on her leg he left her to mount up on Buckshot. 

“So, do you ever have a den?” Adeline asked the other Omega. Sadie smirked, tilting her head to one side as she thought.

“When I go into heat, I want a den. Usually whatever’s nearby and handy though, don’t get a lot of warning.” She explained, slowing Bob down to ride beside Adeline. Bob was a good deal taller than her horse, she had to look up to see Sadie’s face. The men were riding a ways in front of them, giving the two privacy to talk. 

“When do we go into heat?” The concern was a new one, she hadn’t thought about it before and neither John or Arthur had much to say on the matter. It clearly hadn’t been a worry of theirs before. 

“It’s different for every Omega, but generally every six months or so. Your cycle is going to be different than mine. And we can only get pregnant during our heat. Better deal than human women I hear.” She smirked. Adeline gave a curt nod. It certainly did sound better, though she was still concerned about the entire process. “For wolves who don’t travel as erratically as we are want to do, they have regular dens they visit. But you’ve probably got six months to before you have to worry about it and _two_ mates to help you out. You’ll be fine.” Sadie reassured her. The concern must have showed on her face. She shook it off, Sadie was right. 

“What’s it like?” Adeline felt a little embarrassed to be asking these questions but hell if Arthur or John could answer them and Sadie seemed unbothered. She took a long minute to answer, thinking over her response carefully.

“It’s not particularly pleasant. Usually about a week of feeling ‘off’ before hand, like you’re getting real sick almost, and then a week of just...well you’re thoughts only revolve around your mates, or finding a mate. Real base kind of thoughts. Some Omegas go feral.” Adeline shuddered at the suggestion, still remembering how it felt. “But I don’t, it’s not a sure thing.” Sadie rushed to soothe her clear worry. “You’ll get real testy, ornery.”

“More than I am already?” Adeline joked. Sadie threw her head back in laughter.

“Oh honey, you’re a doll compared to most Omegas. Yeah, it’s just like, _everything_ starts getting on your nerves, every smell, every sound. It’s best to just den up and stay away from others until it blows over.” She was about to continue but both women went silent, looking ahead as the sound of approaching hooves caught their attention. A smell hit Adeline full force and she felt a scowl on her face before she realized it. _Alpha_. A wolf she didn’t know. The men were falling back to ride with them. Arthur in front with Charles and John on either side of them. They did it without discussion and Adeline was a little bit impressed with their coordinated movements. Her attention was quickly drawn to the lone rider trotting past them. When he caught their scent she could see the reaction. His eyes went gold and he pulled his horse to a stop to watch them pass him. When he looked to Adeline she found herself snarling at him, wanting to pick a fight with him. His eyes flashed gold but John dropped back, keeping his horse between her and the strange Alpha.

“Best keep move, partner. She’s a bit testy right now.” John urged, an edge warning in his voice. The Alpha shook his head, his eyes clear again, before riding off at a brisk pace. John glance to Adeline, smirking. “Could you not try and start fights with everyone?”

“No.” She responded truthfully, looking forward again. John laughed, riding up to join Charles and Arthur as the men again gave Sadie and Adeline their privacy. Sadie was laughing at her still.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to enjoy watching you hand Micah his ass.”

It was late and Adeline’s stomach was rumbling by the time they rode up to a small train station. There was a barn and a stock yard to one side and seemed as fine a place to camp for the night as any. Since getting her back, Arthur had been more insistent on giving Adeline food and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her new Omega status or lingering traces of guilt still eating at him. He helped her off her horse, still nameless, and pulled a hunk of bread out of his satchel. 

“I can hear that rumbling from a mile away.” He smirked as she tore a bite off. John came walking back from the station building, lighting a cigarette and shaking the match out as he neared.

“They got a poker game going in the barn, was thinking of joining.” He was offering. Arthur shrugged.

“You go on, I’d rather get the camp set up.” He was already pulling saddlebags off Buckshot as he spoke. John took a drag on his cigarette and blew smoke out into the air.

“Addy, you want to join me?” He asked. She startled at the question. She’s never even seen a card game before except for once when she was little and had peeked into the tiny saloon on the edge of town. It’d been dark and smelly and none of the men really looked like they enjoyed themselves. 

“I’ve never played before.” She admitted. John grinned, holding his hand out to her.

“Well, come on. I’ll teach you.” 

“Teach you how to cheat, more like.” Arthur called after them as John led her along towards the barn.

"I never cheat!" He yelled back then leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "I always cheat, but you can't let them know that, okay?" His smile was infectious. She was a little surprised when they stepped inside the barn to realize the other players were all wolves. Their eyes all shifted to her when they caught her scent and John pulled her into his lap by the waist as he sat down. Seemingly satisfied that she was mated, the other wolves returned their attention to their cards. It gave Adeline time to sort them out herself. She took a good deal longer to figure out scents than the others did but she assumed that was simply a lack of practice. 

One Alpha, scarred to hell and missing an eye, watched John closely. Beside him, a tired looking Beta scowled at everyone. Adeline breathed in and realized the two were mated. It made her feel a little less aggressive towards the Alpha, though she kept trying to eye him when she thought he wasn't looking. She could just make out the mating bite on the Beta's shoulder from underneath his shirt collar. He was looking at every time she glanced over. Another Beta, unattached, sat beside John and her. His eyes kept shifting to them, his lip curled in a snarl. John wrapped his arms around her and began explaining the rules to her.

"We gotta play with your little pet too?" The antsy Beta beside her asked. Adeline cut her eyes at him and he visibly stilled under her glare.The Alpha across the table laughed under his breath, rolling the cigar on his lips from one corner of his mouth to the other. As far as she could tell, none of them were part of a pack. She wondered how common that was. Seemed lonely. 

"Maybe you shouldn't be picking at an Omega." The Alpha said, shifting his card around before sliding two onto the table. His tone was almost mocking and she was pretty sure he wasn't making fun of her. 

"I'll pick at who I want." The Beta snapped. Adeline hadn't said anything but she was getting annoyed with the hot head. John shifted his cards to one hand, tightening his hold around her waist. Warning her not to start anything. The mated Beta dealt cards out, eyeing Adeline in a far less aggressive way than he had been. 

"You ain't been wolf long, have you, Omega?" He asked. She didn't like the way all eyes shifted to her but she turned to face him. 

"Not particularly. Am I that obvious?" John's hands on her gave her courage. The mated Beta shrugged, setting the deck down and picking up his own cards.

"You smell new. Word of advice, when someone starts getting at you," His eyes glanced over the cards to the angry Beta for a second to make sure she knew what he meant. "come down hard on them. Some wolves won't let a bone alone until the bone stabs them in the throat." The Alpha pulled the cigar he'd been chewing on out and tossed in a few coins for a bet, eyes glancing from his mate to the angry Beta who was staring him down now. The angry Beta bristled, her nostrils flared a bit as she took in his scent and recognized a mixture of fear and anger. 

"I don't think no tiny little new wolf is going to be hurting me any." He growled, eyes cutting to Adeline. "And I don't appreciate you trying to get her to fight me." The mated Beta shrugged again. He didn't seem to care too much one way or the other. John was silent through all this until the angry Beta called Adeline 'tiny' and 'little'. She felt his hand clench a little at the words. 

"She killed her maker and ate him, buddy. And he was an Alpha. You think she won't eat you too?" He was picking a fight for her. She didn't really want him to, she felt plenty capable of picking her own fights. The Alpha raised a brow, glancing to Adeline but she was busy glaring at the angry Beta. He stood up, tossing his cards down on the table and growling at her, trying to tower over her. The Alpha and mated Beta pushed back from the table, reacting with defensive gestures and warning growls. Adeline's hand snaked out, grabbing the angry Beta by the throat and slamming his head against the card table. It was easier than she had expected it to be. She leaned in close to his face and snarled. 

"I'm not looking for a fight, you moron, I just wanted to relax with my mate. How about you fuck off?" Her claws grew a bit into the flesh of his neck. When she let go of him, he scrambled away from her and fell back on the floor. In a panic he ran from the barn as John laughed. Climbing out of his lap, she picked up the chair where the Beta had knocked it over and sat in it. Taking a breath to settle herself, she picked up the cards that had been thrown down and looked to John then the Alpha and Beta pair. "So ya'll going to explain how this works?" There was a bit of silence before the Alpha coughed and slid his chair back up to the table. 

Later, Adeline walked with John back to the camp Arthur had set up not far from the train station. Charles and Sadie were sitting at the campfire eating while Arthur was brushing out Buckshot. He looked over as they walked up.

"How'd it go?" He asked.

"I won five bucks!" Adeline said, proud of herself. Arthur laughed then glanced to John. He raised his hands to defend himself from the look he was getting. 

"I didn't cheat! Addy just had beginner's luck. And terrified the table after running off some asshole." He laughed but Arthur didn't seem to think it was very funny. Adeline didn't look up before shrugging off to sit next to Sadie. She took an offered piece of meat from the other woman and began chewing on it. Arthur and John soon joined them, sitting on either side of her like they usually did. 

The sound of footsteps in the tall grass drew everyone's attention. Adeline raised her head up and opened her mouth to taste the air like she was learning to do. It was the mated Beta from the card table. After the troublemaker had run off the other two wolves had seemed to relax into the game, even helping Adeline learn the rules. They'd both groaned and laughed good naturedly when she'd set down a full house and won the big pot in the middle of the table. 

Arthur stood up as the Beta moved into the fire light out of the night. He paused, looking around the fire until his eyes settled on Adeline. She reached up to hold Arthur's arm, pulling him gently back to the ground. The Beta was silent until Arthur sat.

"Wanted to say welcome to the world." The Beta held out a freshly killed rabbit towards her. "Know a turning can be tough." His voice was gruff, but he seemed earnest. Adeline stood up and crossed the fire to take the rabbit from him. 

"Thank you." She said, a bit unsure how she was supposed to react. The Beta rolled his shoulders, looking at the group again.

"You got a strong pack, pup." He sounded impressed. She looked over her shoulder to look at her friends. Before she could respond he was already walking off. "Stay safe and off the gallows." Was all he grumbled before vanishing into the darkness surrounding the fire. The rabbit in her hand was still warm, he must have just killed it. Charles reached out to take it from her and, confused, she let him before sitting back down between John and Arthur. He was quick to skin it and spike it over the fire. John patted her shoulder reassuringly. She wasn't sure how to react still, she had expected interactions with other wolves to be more like the angry Beta. After the fire had been banked for the night and she was curled between John and Arthur, she'd stared up at the stars. 

"Lamb, you should sleep." Arthur murmured against her neck where he'd pressed against her. 

"Are other wolves always going to be afraid of me?" She asked. His breath was warm against her bare neck. 

"No. Are you always going to be snarling at strange Alphas?" It wasn't an accusation, not really. More of an explanation. 

"Only if they deserve it." He laughed softly at her answer as he squeezed her tighter. 

"Then they'll probably only be afraid of you if they deserve it too." 

The next day was an easy ride. She suspected they were riding slow on account of her, but it seemed like an okay reason. The horse underneath her was a good horse, she had to admit, Arthur had chosen well for her. He was a careful sort of creature who kept an ear back to listen to her every time she spoke. While they rode, she tried to think of a good name for him.

"Hey," Arthur moved to ride beside her, passing over a piece of meat. There was satisfaction in ripping it apart with her teeth that she'd never had before. "You come up with a name for him yet?"

"I was thinking, maybe Ace? That's what I won the card game with last night." It felt silly to need an explanation but Arthur seemed to like it. 

"That's a fine enough name, Lamb." He had something else he wanted to say but couldn't seem to get to it. Adeline waited. After heaving a big sigh, Arthur managed to get it out. "Lamb, I don't want you getting hurt fighting Micah. And I know I'm not going to be able to stop you but just... be careful alright? We'll be right behind you." She appreciated the concern but before she could respond, something caught her attention and her head turned. A smell on the wind was familiar and she knew it before she could understand why. 

"Lamb," Arthur's voice was a warning but she was ignoring it now. A small squeeze of her legs and Ace was trotting into camp. Javier was on guard duty and she saw him go pale like he'd seen a ghost as she rode past him.

Adeline trotted into camp, dismounting in a fluid motion. The wind was blowing towards her, she already had Micah’s scent but he wouldn’t catch hers just yet. Good. She wanted him to be surprised. Behind her she could hear someone calling her name but she was already blocking it out. She could see the serpent sitting at one of the tables, his back to her. Her vision narrowed until she saw only him. As she passed people, they stopped, caught off guard to see her. A bit of her wondered what lie Micah had told. One that meant she wouldn’t be coming back judging by the stunned reactions she got. Her eyes narrowed as she neared him and her hand slipped beneath her skirts to pull her knife free.

Micah was engrossed in telling Bill something insulting when the bearded wolf looked up, his attention immediately caught by Adeline. Micah turned to look just in time to catch Adeline’s knife in his shoulder. He gave a strangled cry of pain and surprise as she sent a fist right into his jaw. It hurt but there was enough force behind her knuckles to sprawl Micah back across the table. Bill was already backing up out of the way. She shifted before Micah had a chance to react, leaping him and digging her claws into his arms as she sank teeth into his neck.

“What the hell is going on here?” Dutch’s voice rang out. 

“**Get off of him**” Hosea’s voice bounced inside her skull, making her pull back. As a wolf she didn’t even have to think about how to respond, immediately dropping her head and pinning her ears back. “Adeline?” He asked, confused. She slipped into human again and stood straight. Arthur was trying to hand her a coat to cover herself with but she ignored it. Let them look at the scars. Let them see what had happened. 

“He gave me to Colm.” Her arm outstretched, point to Micah as he lay back against the table bleeding and gasping for breath. Her knife was still sticking out of his shoulder, bobbing every time he too a deep breath. “Stole me while I was sleeping, tied me up like a god damned present and gave me to COLM O’DRISCOLL.” She yelled the last part and a few pack members shrank back from her voice. Her attention turned to the whining rat beside her.

“What did you think he’d do to me, Micah? Did you think he’d kill me? Did you hope? Maybe humiliate me first?” She stalked closer to him, seeing the Alpha try and scramble backwards across the table, away from her, while still holding a hand to the bite in his neck. The fear in his eyes satisfied something deep and dark inside her. “Well he didn’t, Micah. He turned me.” She crooned the last words. “And then I ripped his throat out and ate him. Like I’m going to do to you.”

"Fucking Omega." Micah's voice shook. 

“**Stand down**” Hosea told her and she found herself acting without thought, moving back and keeping her eyes down. She only looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes rose to meet Hosea’s, nothing but sympathy in his face. His hand rested against her cheek, thumb rubbing the scar that ran across her lips. “You’re sure? Micah did this?”

"I wasn't unconscious when he did it, Hosea. I was awake to see that fucking traitor hand me over with a smile." She snarled at the word traitor. Hosea's eyes shifted to Micah, brows lowering and eyes narrowing as anger broke onto his face. 

"Then I guess it's time we dealt with a fucking traitor." Dutch's words rang loud, cries of agreement going up from the pack as they ringed around the table. Micah was panicking, looking between the crowd, Adeline, Hosea and Dutch. He found no sympathy. The scars on Adeline weren’t easy to explain away. 

“What did he say?” She asked, looking to Dutch and Hosea. They pulled up sharp. Dutch had his gun out, pointed at the ground and finger on the trigger. “What did he say about me missing?” She hadn’t asked before because she was afraid of the answer. How little had it taken to get them to forgo finding her? It hadn’t escaped her notice that only a few had come looking for her. 

“He said he’d seen you leave. Your clothes and things were missing, and a horse was gone. We thought you’d run off.” Hosea explained. Regret painted his face. Micah had covered his tracks well, she thought. The missing horse was probably what had tipped Arthur off. It made sense. Out of everyone in the pack, Sadie and Charles were probably the only ones who would have believed Arthur. “Do you know how we deal with traitors?” Hosea turned his attention back to Adeline. She shook her head, looking at Micah. Her eyes must have flashed silver when she did because Micah scrambled a bit when she locked her gaze on him.

“You have right to first blood.” Hosea said, stepping back. She didn’t need more of an invitation than that. With a snarl, she flung herself at the man, slipping to wolf mid air and landing with her claws digging into his chest. He shifted underneath her, trying to claw his way free of her grip. Teeth snapped at her ruff, coming away with fur and not much else. Micah kicked her, sending her smaller frame sliding back across the dirt, making space between them. The fear in him was so heavy in the air she could taste it. Acrid on her tongue but she liked it. Her tongue came out, licking her lips as she dug her back claws in before bunching up and springing forward. A fist landed on her nose, sharp pain and blood in her mouth making her yelp but didn’t slow her down. Snapping her head around, she caught the wrist of the offending fist. It crunched in her teeth like a dry cracker and she twisted her head back sharply. The hand came off in her maw and part of her wanted to take the time to crunch it open. 

A howl of pain beneath turned her attention, though. Micah had slipped back to human, clutching his arm against his chest and giving a sob of pain. Soft flesh was easier to tear into than thick fur and she laughed as she dropped the hand to rip in his shoulder, her claws around his throat.

“**Stand down**” Hosea’s voice rattled inside her skull and she slunk back, pressing her chest to the ground and pinning her ears down. Dutch walked up to Micah who was squirming against the ground, moaning around his ripped arm. He raised the gun and shot a bullet through Micah’s head with no hesitation. Everyone’s attention was on the corpse but Adeline slipped away, grabbing up the loose hand with her muzzle and trotting away with it. She felt it was her right to the prize and now that Micah was dead she didn’t care very much what else they did to him. 

She settled underneath a tree, in the shade from the heat and began gnawing on the hand. The marrow was rich on her tongue as she cracked the bones open. Stretched out, she held the hand between her claws as she enjoyed it. She felt very pleased with herself. Boot steps crunched against gravel, nearing her, but she didn’t care to look up.

“Adeline.” Hosea’s voice pulled her attention whether she wanted it to or not. She glanced up at the man without moving her head. He stood over, human at the moment. As she waited for him to continue, her teeth slowly crunched into the bone. He gave a heavy sigh and sat beside her. For a minute she thought he might try to take her prize and she gave a small growl in her throat, moving her paws away from him. But he seemed okay with her keeping it. 

“I wanted to apologize, dear girl.” At his words, she raised her head to look at him. “We shouldn’t have so easily believed you would leave us.” For a moment his voice wavered as if he would cry. That startled her enough to drop the hand and slip to human, sitting beside him. He looked over, shrugging out of his coat and throwing it over her shoulders. She pulled her knees up against her chest.

“It was awful, Hosea.” She told him, her voice even. He couldn’t meet her eye, looking away. “But it’s better now. Kinda feels right, you know?” A bit of a grin found its way onto her face. “I was already practically wolf before. Things are just what they are now.” 

“Did you really eat Colm?” Hosea asked, grin matching hers. Adeline shrugged.

“Don’t remember much about that part, but yeah I think I did. Kieran saw me doing it.” She was suddenly reminded of the poor man. “Oh, Hosea let me tell you about Kieran! You have to let him join the pack.” Her hand closed around his wrist, as she leaned towards him, eager to explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized this entire work is over 100k now. Party at my house!


End file.
